A Perfect Saturday in Bend
I had only one weekend in Bend, so I wanted to get the best sampling of the area in one weekend and I think I succeeded. Check out the post on Deschutes Brewery about the tour I did Friday night to kick off my weekend.
Since most of my planned activities for the day did not include Nala, the day started with taking her for a long walk. She got to swim in the river and hunt prairie dogs (unsuccessfully). She proved she could not survive in the wild because while she was nose deep, focused on one hole, there would be a prairie dog sitting 10 feet away at another hole watching her.
But she ended the walk wet, dirty, happy, and tired. All together a win!
I started my adventures at the Northwest Crossing Farmers Market in Bend. The farmers market shuts down a main street for several blocks so traffic and parking is a bit hairy close by, but I was fortunate to find a spot on a side street just a block over. It is June so we are coming into peak berry season in one of the best berry growing regions in the US. I had to limit myself to just what I could eat by myself in a week because berries sadly don’t keep very long and I have very limited freezer space in the RV. While I won’t be in Bend next weekend, I can tell you Saturdays at the farmers market with all this incredible fresh fruit is going to be a staple of our summer in Oregon.
There are also a variety of food vendors, bakery stalls, art, jewelry, soaps, and even tastings from distilleries and wineries. I treated myself to some pistachio pesto, beeswax wraps (trying to cut back on my plastic food containers), and a local limoncello in addition to lots of great produce, fresh bagels, and an iced matcha latte. It is definitely a great start to a Saturday in Bend.
Next stop was the Deschutes River Park and Float through Tumalo Creek Rentals. For the shuttle to the drop off and pick up points and the tube to float on, the cost was about $30. Absolutely worth it, especially for a solo traveler. They also will keep your car keys locked up safely on dry land (our family had a harrowing experience losing the keys floating a river in the past so that alone was worth the money). I will say I saw locals paddle boarding up the river and then floating back down. I would have to invest in a paddle board and training Nala to ride it if I was a local.
It was a 2 hour float, which was perfect. It was mostly calm with a small section of fish ladder rapids. Enough excitement to keep it interesting and give you a good soaking to cool down but not dangerous. While the water was chilly, it was a hot, sunny day so it felt good and I got used to it very quickly.
Just past the rapids was a little pull out with an ice cream truck, so I decided to take a break and get some ice cream. I added a little challenge by taking the ice cream back on the river. It was a struggle to get back into the flow with only one hand, but worth it!
I was glad the float ended when it did because my neck was starting to feel the strain (I may still be young but I am not in my 20s anymore). It was a great way to spend the afternoon and I would highly recommend it!
Next, I drove about 15 minutes north of Bend to Cascade Lake Distillery and Tasting Room. The distillery is inspired by Crater Lake National Park (about 2 hours south of Bend) but not affiliated. They have lots of unique spirits like Hatch Vodka and Pepper Vodka (too spicy for me) and Sweet Ginger Vodka to make simple Dark and Stormies without Ginger Beer, which was very tasty, and a sweet Mountain Berry vodka. They have a whole flight of whiskeys including one that is distilled from a specially produced beer from Deschutes Brewery, an interesting tie-in to my tour the night before.
I particularly enjoyed their Rock and Rye, a ready to pour old fashioned along with the view of the Three Sisters Mountains.
They also have a very tasty cocktail menu (they make mini cocktails since there is a limit on how many spirits than can serve one patron in one sitting). While the tasting and the cocktails are very affordable ($8 for a tasting flight of 6 spirits and $5-6 each for a mini cocktail), the venture itself was a little pricey as I could not resist purchasing some bottles for myself, samplers for family, and some additional products like bourbon barrel aged maple syrup and a local chai syrup.
The bartender at Crater Lake recommended a steakhouse down the road for dinner and Tumalo Feed Company Steakhouse was the perfect way to end the day. Don’t let the name fool you. It is an Old West style restaurant (hence the name) but the food was fantastic! It was quiet at the bar but there was a long wait for tables, so I would recommend a reservation if you are coming with a group. I had the Cowboy Medallions with a Pecan-Vanilla Old Fashioned.
Because the distillery closed at 5pm and the restaurant was just down the road, I was back in Sunriver taking Nala for an evening walk by 7pm. It was a fantastic day and I would highly recommend the itinerary to anyone (of age to enjoy the spirits of course)!
